Intermediate

These scopes offer higher performance and more advanced features than Level 1 Beginner models. They typically take a bit longer to learn and need some set-up or adjustments. But anyone with the slightest technical bent will have no problem getting familiar with these models. Referring to the manual is recommended.

This Deluxe version of our popular Mini 50mm Guide Scope is designed for use with the Orion StarShoot AutoGuider (sold separately) or similar small-chip CCD autoguider devices. The Orion Mini 50mm Guide Scope is ideal for guiding long-exposure astrophotographs with imaging telescopes up to 1500mm in focal length. The Deluxe Mini 50mm Guide Scope's machined and anodized helical focuser has a fixed-orientation design that will not rotate the installed StarShoot AutoGuider or similar device during focus adjustments. The helical focuser simply moves the attached autoguider in or out while maintaining its set orientation. Astrophotographers are sure to appreciate this, since it ensures that the field of potential guide stars will not rotate when focus adjustments are made.

The machined and anodized helical focuser has a 12.5mm travel range, and a tight thread tolerance which ensures zero backlash and eliminates flexure-inducing "play". The helical focuser ring is ribbed for easy grip during adjustments, and a convenient thumbscrew lock keeps the focuser in-place once ideal focus is achieved.

The Orion Deluxe Mini 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser brings precisely focused autoguiding into the realm of affordability for any astrophotographer, and brings the guide scope to a position that was previously occupied by a telescope finder scope. Thanks to the high level of guiding accuracy offered by modern autoguider devices such as the Orion StarShoot AutoGuider, astrophotographers of today can use guide scopes with much shorter focal lengths and smaller apertures compared to the large, bulky models used in the past. Using a more optically "fast" guide scope such as the Deluxe Mini 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser can save astrophotographers valuable time, space, and money, but will still provide the unrivaled accuracy that only autoguiding can bring to long-exposure astrophotographs.

Consisting of a 50mm aperture, 162mm focal length (f/3.2) achromatic refractor guide scope with helical focuser, an adjustable dovetail guide scope bracket, a dovetail mounting base, and an adapter plate, the Orion Deluxe Mini 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser makes it easy for any astrophotographer to enjoy the precision of autoguiding in their celestial photos. All this conveniently compact setup requires is a StarShoot AutoGuider (sold separately) or similar small-chip CCD autoguider and it's ready for night, camera, action! The guide scope bracket fits into the standard Orion dovetail finder scope base found on most Orion telescopes. If your imaging scope doesn't feature a dovetail base or has one already occupied by an oft-used finder, the included dovetail base and attachment hardware lets you attach the Deluxe Mini 50mm Guide Scope with helical Focuser to any optical tube. Alternatively, the included adapter plate can be used to attach the dovetail base and Deluxe Mini 50mm Guide Scope to any standard dovetail plate, or side-by-side plate if preferred. The lightweight Deluxe Mini 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser weighs a mere 1.2lbs. (19.2oz.).

When not being used for autoguiding, the Deluxe Mini 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser can alternatively be used as a finder scope. Just insert an optional 20mm Illuminated Centering Eyepiece (I.C.E.) (sold separately) into the helical focuser and you can use the versatile Deluxe Mini 50mm Guide Scope as an 8x50 illuminated finder scope!

Warranty

Limited Warranty against defects in materials or workmanship for one year from date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. For complete warranty details contact us at 800-676-1343.

Warning

Please note this product was not designed or intended by the manufacturer for use by a child 12 years of age or younger.

User level

Level 1 Beginner - Suited for a wide range of uses, these telescopes are simple to operate and set up. Some initial assembly may be required. Very good optical and mechanical quality. Great for families, young people, and folks who don't want to mess with equipment but just want to take a look. Any of these scopes will show you countless lunar craters, Saturn's rings and a myriad of star clusters and nebulas! Referring to the manual is recommended.

Level 2 Intermediate - These scopes offer higher performance and more advanced features than Level 1: Beginner models. They typically take a bit longer to learn and need some set-up or adjustments. But anyone with the slightest technical bent will have no problem getting familiar with these models. Referring to the manual is recommended.

Level 3 Advanced - These scopes provide the best performance but may require more skill to master and appreciate. They have exceptionally fine optics and mechanics. Some are easy to use but are but on the large or heavy side. Some are intended for specialized uses. These scopes will appeal to the more technically inclined. Referring to the manual is highly recommended.

Level 4 Expert - Expert telescopes offer uncompromising optical and mechanical quality for the most demanding amateur astronomer. They may be technically involved or designed for specialized use, such as astrophotography or detailed deep sky observation. They carry a premium price, but are designed to provide the ultimate performance in the field. Referring to the manual is highly recommended.

Optical design

Reflector telescopes use a pair of large and small mirrors to direct incoming light to the eyepiece.
Refractor telescopes refract, or "bend" incoming light to a focus by means of an objective lens.
Cassegrain telescopes, such as Maksutov-Cassegrains, "fold" incoming light using two mirrors and a front "corrector" lens.

Optical diameter

The optical diameter (also known as aperture), is the size of the telescope's main light collecting lens or mirror, measured in millimeters or inches. As the diameter increases, more light is collected and the resolution increases.

Focal length

The distance from the center of a curved mirror or lens at which parallel light rays converge to a single point. The focal length is an inherent specification of a mirror or lens and is one of the factors in determining resultant magnification for a telescope (along with the focal length of the eyepiece being used).

Focal ratio

The focal ratio of an optical system is the ratio of a telescope's focal length to its aperture. Short focal ratios (f/5, f/4.5) produce wide fields of view and small image scales, while long focal lengths produce narrower fields of views and larger image scales.

Coatings

Lenses are coated with an antireflective material to ensure that as little light as possible is reflected away, so more gets to your eye. Good lenses are at least "fully coated," with a single layer of magnesium fluoride applied to each air-to-glass lens surface. Multiple layers of coatings are even more effective; the term "multi-coated" means one or more lens surfaces have multiple coatings. "Fully multi-coated" is even better, meaning that all lens surfaces are multiple-layer coated.
Mirror star diagonals are coated with a reflective material similar to telescope mirrors in order to reflect the light into the eyepiece. Standard aluminum coatings reflect between 88%-92%, and enhanced aluminum reflects 97%.
Dielectric coatings use a different process to deposit a coating that reflects 99% of the light. In addition to the higher reflectivity, Dielectric coatings are much more durable than aluminum coatings, so they last longer and can be cleaned with less risk of damage.

Optics type

Newtonian reflectors will have either a spherical shaped mirror, which is less expensive to produce, or a higher quality parabola, which does not result in spherical aberration. Cassegrain telescopes routinely use spheres in addition to other lenses in the optical path to correct for residual spherical aberration.
Refractors use a series of lenses to provide a clear image. Designs range from a standard air-spaced doublet (two lenses in a row) to exotic designs such as oil-spaced triplets and 4-element multi group lenses.

Glass material

Refractors use glass lenses to focus the light, and the glass material plays an important role in the quality of the resulting image. Standard achromatic refractors routinely use Crown and Flint for the two elements, but more expensive apochromatic refractors can use ED (extra low dispersion) glass for one or more of the lenses. Reflector mirrors are made from glass with different levels of thermal expansion. Standard mirrors are made from material such as Soda-Lime Plate glass and BK-7 glass. Glass with Pyrex or other low thermal expansion material will not change shape as dramatically during the cool-down period, resulting in more stable images during this period.

Resolving power

The theoretical resolving power of a telescope can be calculated with the following formula: Resolving power (in arc seconds) = 4.56 divided by aperture of telescope (in inches). In metric units, this is: Resolving power (in arc seconds) = 116 divided by aperture of telescope (in millimeters). Note that the formula is independent of the telescope type or model, and is based only upon the aperture of the telescope. So the larger the telescope's aperture, the more it is capable of resolving. This is important to keep in mind when observing astronomical objects which require high resolution for best viewing, such as planets and double stars. However, it is usually atmospheric seeing conditions (not the telescope) which limits the actual resolving power on a given night; rarely is resolution less than one arc-second possible from even the best viewing locations on Earth.

Lowest useful magnification

Lowest useful magnification is the power at which the exit pupil becomes 7mm in diameter. Powers below this can still be reached with the telescope to give wider fields of view, but the image no longer becomes brighter at a lower power. This is due to the fact that the exit pupil of the telescope (the beam of light exiting the eyepiece) is now larger than the average person's dark adapted pupil, and no more light can fit into the eye.

Astro-imaging capability

The astro-photographic capability of the telescope is based on the style, stability, and accuracy of the mount and tripod. Telescopes on either very lightweight mounts or non tracking mounts (such as Dobsonians) are capable of only very short exposures such as lunar photographs. If a motor drive is attached to an equatorial mount, even a small lightweight mount is capable of capturing some planetary detail. Larger EQ mounts that utilize very precise tracking and excellent stability are capable of longer exposure deep-sky photography.

Warranty

This warranty gives you specific legal rights. It is not intended to remove or restrict your other legal rights under applicable local consumer law; your state or national statutory consumer rights governing the sale of consumer goods remain fully applicable.

Orders received by 1pm Eastern Time for in-stock items ship the same business day. Orders received after 1pm will ship the next business day. When an item is not in-stock we will ship it as soon as it becomes available. Typically in-stock items will ship first and backordered items will follow as soon as they are available. You have the option in check out to request that your order ship complete, if you'd prefer.

Attach two different aiming devices to your telescope quickly and easily with the Orion Dual Finder Scope Mounting Bracket. Use any combination of finder scope, reflex sight, green laser pointer bracket, mini guide scope, without having to use tools.

For testing the accuracy of your tracking system, or centering stars for GoTo system alignment, the wide field of the Orion 20mm Illuminated Centering Eyepiece makes it easy. Just use the illuminated crosshair to acquire and center any star.

The Orion Wide Universal Dovetail Plate allows you more versatility with your wide-saddled mount. It has multiple holes along the length so you can mount all manner of accessories, including rings and cameras with a tripod socket, where you need it.

You can now easily mount two telescopes side by side on your mount by using the Orion Narrow Side-by-Side Plate. A perfect solution to simplify your guided astro-imaging setup by placing the guide telescope next to the imager, rather than above.

The Orion LensPen Mini Pro Cleaning Tool is specially designed to clean any lens surface. It has a retractable natural hair brush for large particles on one end and a flexible cleaning tip equipped with chamois pad for smudges on the other end.

The Orion StarShoot is an easy-to-use, affordable autoguider for long-exposure astrophotography. Plug it into an autoguider port on your mount and let it do the work for you. It comes with the software and cables needed to work right out of the box!

At Orion, we are committed to sharing our knowledge and passion for astronomy and astrophotography with the amateur astronomy community. Visit the Orion Community Center for in-depth information on telescopes, binoculars, and astrophotography. You can find astrophotography "how to" tips and share your best astronomy pictures here. Submit astronomy articles, events, and reviews, and even become a featured Orion customer!